Materials
- Graph paper
- Markers
- Pet beds
- Pet bowls
- Dry dog and cat food
- Leashes
- Large variety of stuffed animals (such as cats, dogs, fish, lizards, turtles, and snakes)
- Feeder goldfish (cheap at your local pet store)
- Fish food
- A variety of plastic pets (such as lizards, snakes, and turtles)
- Collage materials (fake fur, plastic scraps, fabric scraps, yarn, and leather scraps)
Instructions
- Ask the children if they have any pets at home. Let each child tell about his pet (or a pet of a neighbor or relative). Make a graph of the results.
- Turn your classroom into a "pet paradise."
- Add pet carriers, bowls, food, pet beds, and leashes to the house area. Encourage the children to take care of the stuffed pets by feeding them, bathing them, and walking them.
- Thoroughly clean the sensory table. Fill it half full with water and let it sit for one day. Add "feeder" goldfish. Encourage the children to observe the fish, but remind them to keep the fish in the water. Assign one child each day to be the "fish feeder." Add a plastic sand-filled basin. The top of the basin should be just above the water level. Put plastic lizards and turtles in the basin.
- Encourage the children to use the science area materials to explore the pets. They can use magnifying glasses to get a close-up view of the goldfish, and scales to weigh the animals.
- Add animal books to the reading area and encourage the children to look at them.
- Put a variety of materials (such as fake fur, plastic, yarn, felt, fabric, and so on) in the art center for children to make collages and sculptures of their pets.
- At the end of the day, discuss what they learned about pet care.
